Automattic has acquired the BruteProtect plugin for protecting WordPress websites from malicious attacks. The company plans to adapt the plugin to its Jetpack suite, which it develops.
BruteProtect will remain available for now while the development team works on adapting it to Jetpack. Automattic will also be making BruteProtect’s premium service, which currently costs $5 per month, free for all users. When the technology is fully implemented in Jetpack, the BruteProtect team will notify users in advance before disabling the plugin.
Interestingly, BruteProtect founder Sam Hotchkiss revealed that he developed the first version of the tool in 18 hours last year after noticing a significant increase in botnets using brute force to break into WordPress sites’ admin panels. Last month, BruteProtect blocked 35 million attacks.
